Valentyn Delivers Faribault Lakers Walk-Off Hit
The Faribault Lakers amateur baseball team hosted the Shakopee Coyotes today and gave their fans at Bell Field a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win. Dylan Valentyn stroked a 1-0 pitch for a single scoring Mitch Johnson from second base for the trilling victory.
Joe Grote pitched the top of the 9th to get the win for the Lakers after Matt Lane threw the first 8 innings leaving with the game tied at 2. Lane scattered 6 hits, allowed 2 earned runs, struck out 8, walked 2 and hit a batter. Lane threw 115 pitches, 79 strikes. Joe Grote gave up a hit in the 9th and struck out two batters while throwing 14 pitches, 10 strikes.
In the bottom of the 9th Johnson was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Following a strikeout Grote collected his 4th hit of the day placing runners at first and second with one out. A pop out was the second Faribault out setting up the final at bat of the game. Valentyn hit a 1-0 pitch to left field, Johnson scored and the Lakers picked up their 10th win of the season.
Faribault scored a run in the first and a run in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. In the first inning with two outs Lane clubbed a single to right field. Grote scored Lane by smashing a triple to right field and was thrown out trying to score on the play.
In the second inning Jack Helgeson started the Lakers off with a single on the first pitch delivered to him. After one out Mike Carpentier reaches base thanks to an error placing runners at first and second with one out. During the next at bat Helgeson gained third base when Shakopee let him advance with no play. Helgeson then scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Kyle Murphy.
The Coyotes scored both of their runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Both teams had 7 hits and 1 error in the game.
With the victory Faribault is 10-11. They travel to Union Hill Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
Shakopee is now 6-13, hosts New Prague Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.